Walmart 'Neighborhood Markets' Spreading

While people in Decatur talk about the planned for , another kind of Walmart store is quietly appearing in other parts of the metro area.

Walmart Neighborhood Markets are coming to at least five cities in the Atlanta metro area: Lawrenceville, Snellville, Marietta, Alparetta and Tucker.

Brian Crowe, a blooger for Patch, explains the idea.

For those unfamiliar with the Walmart Market concept, it's the retail behemoth's version of a neighborhood grocery store. The stores are usually around 40,000 square feet in size, employ from 80 to 100 people and offer pharmacy and photo processing services.

Surprisingly, I haven't heard about any neighborhood opposition to this opening. Walmart typically brings out the NIMBY in all of us; look at the .

Perhaps a modestly sized grocery store is less off-putting to folks than the massive Supercenters the discounter is known for opening in the face of fierce neighborhood opposition. An article in the Los Angeles Times last year pointed out that Walmart avoids contentious city planning reviews when they open these relatively smaller projects in vacant storefronts already zoned for retail.

Walmart's website says, "First opened in 1998, there are now 199 Walmart Neighborhood Markets, each employing about 95 associates. A typical store is about 42,000 square feet."

In comparison, Walmart says there are 3,029 Supercenters nationwide (averaging 185,000 square feet and 350 employees) and 624 Walmart Discount Stores (averaging 108,000 square feet and 225 employees.)

Walmart has also opened two Walmart Express Stores in Arkansas, averaging about 15,000 square feet in size.

How do you like the Neighborhood Market idea? If one were proposed for Suburban Plaza, would you support it?